Her Patronus
by Hidden Relevance
Summary: One shot Harry and Hermione contemplate the signaficance of her Patronus. Written to be acceptable with cannon so technically HrR but with hints of HrD.


**Does anyone else remember hearing all those screams of "OMG it's a FERRET!" when Hermione's patronus was revealed during the movie. Does anyone else remember that it was SUPPOSED to be an otter lol? I did- and here's the result!**

**BTW, JK owns it all. I just borrow.**

Harry wondered if he should be surprised that no one had noticed Hermione slipping away from the crowd of students and teachers still reeling from the Final Battle. He supposed not; Ron and the rest of the Weasleys still huddled together mourning their dead, and those few teachers who might have looked for her were desperately trying to comfort their surviving students.

He doubted he'd be able to get away as easily. He slowly began to skirt the chaos that was the Great Hall, attempting to soothe the fears of those he passed. Those attempts were clumsy at best (who would have guessed he'd need to be strong after the battle too) but they did seem to help. As if drawing strength from him, one by one the students he paused by stood up and went to comfort someone else.

He made it to the door of the Great Hall in surprisingly little time. The Auror guarding the door seemed like he might stop Harry from leaving, but after a moment he simply stood aside. Harry set off through the maze of corridors, wand at the ready. Aurors hurried past him, seeking out any Death Eaters that might still be lurking within the castle. He ignored them and continued on, hoping Hermione would be easy to find.

He headed to the Library, almost sure she'd be hidden away in her old sanctuary. As he reached the door, he found himself nearly stunned at the wreckage within. Shelves had been overturned or blasted to pieces. Books lay scattered about; pages littered the floor. He picked his way carefully through the mess, aiming for the little alcove where Hermione could usually be found.

As he approached, he noticed a silver flicker of light accompanied by the faint sound of a muttered incantation. He pushed aside a shelf that was blocking his way. Really, he wondered how she'd even gotten back there. For it was Hermione, curled up on the floor with her back to him, staring intently as something before her.

He sat down beside her without speaking. The silvery light faded, and Hermione moved her wand again almost absently. "Expecto patronum," she whispered. A faint silver form shot into existence and carefully scurried up to her lap.

Harry stared for a moment at her Patronus. Some might not have noticed anything strange about it, but he had grown much more observant over the past few months. There was no way he could mistake the animal in Hermione's lap for an otter.

She looked at him, almost timidly, knowing he'd realize what it was and why it had changed. He'd told her of Snape's Patronus, after all. Harry met her eyes, then looked back down at the Patronus. He raised an eyebrow, not sure what exactly he should say or ask. He wasn't as surprised by this turn of events as he might have been in the past, but that didn't mean he knew what his friend should do next. He decided to simply remind her of what he did know.

"Ron will be waiting for you." She smiled gently, casting the Patronus charm again. She watched the little animal and blinked back tears.

"I know he will. I'll be along in a moment." Hermione met his eyes, and smiled again. This time it seemed to come more easily. "I just need a moment more." Harry hugged her carefully, understanding what she'd decided to leave behind. Without a word, he stood carefully and returned to the Great Hall. He'd let the Weasleys know she'd be with them soon.

As he left, the lithe little ferret looked up at her and twitched its whiskers. Her giggle surprised them both. That twitch had looked suspiciously like a pureblood wrinkling his nose at her bushy hair. With one final swish of her wand, the Patronus vanished. Hermione rose and turned toward the life she'd chosen.

Ron, after all, was waiting.


End file.
